5 things to know about Milwaukee's Merrill Park neighborhood
Located on Milwaukee's near west side, the Merrill Park neighborhood has a long and storied history, from the time when railroads ruled the landscape, to a famous actor calling it home.
Merrill Park is one of Milwaukee's dozens of distinct neighborhoods. Just beyond Merrill Park is Molson Coors, The Rave and American Family Field, and the neighborhood of roughly 3,000 residents has its own unique personality.
Where is Merrill Park?
Merrill Park is located between 39th and 27th streets, and Wisconsin Avenue and Interstate 94. It sits east of American Family Field and west of The Rave.
How did Merrill Park get its name?
The neighborhood is named after Sherburn S. Merrill, the general manager of the Milwaukee Road railroad, who purchased 15 acres of land to build a house in 1878. The land was eventually sold in parts to employees of Milwaukee Road.
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, New Englanders and German and English immigrants, among others, settled in the area, and the neighborhood grew with a mixture of single-family houses, duplexes, cottages, and apartments. After a fire in the Third Ward in 1892, many Irish families moved west to Merrill Park, and by the early 20th century, Merrill Park became Milwaukee's premier Irish neighborhood.
What is Merrill Park known for?
Merrill Park is mostly residential with places of worship, schools and a few retail and service shops in the the neighborhood. The neighborhood includes a public park appropriately named Merrill Park.
Places like Marquette University High School, Messmer St. Rose Catholic School and Parish and the Tripoli Shrine Masonic Temple have been institutions in the neighborhood for decades.
Spencer Tracy was born in Merrill Park
Legendary actor Spencer Tracy was born in the neighborhood in 1900. Like many residents of Merrill Park, the Tracys were descendants of Irish immigrants and they worshipped at St. Rose Parish. Spencer became an altar boy.
In 1930 he married Louise Treadwell in New York City where he was a working actor. Eventually Tracy and his family would move to California where Tracy made 25 films. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor nine times over his career, he won twice — once for "Captains Courageous" and once for "Boys Town." Tracy separated from Louise in 1933 and by the 1940s took up a long term relationship with Katherine Hepburn.
Resources for Merrill Park residents
Merrill Park is located in the 10th aldermanic district and in Police District 3. Reach your alderman, Michael J. Murray, at mmurph@milwaukee.gov.
Find your garbage and recycling schedule at city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/GarbageRecyclingSchedules.
Police District 3 has public safety meetings at 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month at various locations. More information can be found at city.milwaukee.gov/police/districts/District-3.
Learn how to register to vote and find your polling place at city.milwaukee.gov/election/Voter-Info.
Need to borrow tools for a home improvement project? Check out the city’s Tool Loan Center, 2500 W. Capitol Drive. More details at bit.ly/MKE_ToolLoan.
Want to get emailed updates about police activity, new development and more in your neighborhood? Sign up for the city’s e-notify system at city.milwaukee.gov/News-Events/enotify.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 things to know about Milwaukee's Merrill Park neighborhood
